This invention relates generally to paper bags, and more specifically, to the type used in the convenience food industry to carry a food item, such as a sandwich, and to be opened to expose the bag interior and food item therein.
In the convenience or fast food industry, the bag in which a product is packaged and delivered to the customer is important. Presently, it is believed that the bags can be improved by providing easier and better access for the customer to the item carried therein, by preventing shifting of the food item such that it is preserved in its original, as-packaged condition, and by allowing the customer to reuse the bag in other applications, such as forming the bag into a place mat to allow for easy application of condiments thereon and to receive the food item during the meal.
Bags such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,306,335 to Feigenbutz, are used in the sale of foods such as fried chicken. The Feigenbutz bag includes a ripping strip on the front panel, which is defined by a pair of perforated lines spaced relatively close together and extending from the top edge to the bottom edge of the front panel of the bag. In use, an item of food is placed inside the bag through its open, upper end. The upper end of the bag is then folded over along a crease line and secured against the back panel of the bag by staples, tape or other securing means. The portion of the ripping strip located on the upper, folded back portion of the bag is ripped along the perforated lines to the crease line to form a pull tab, which projects freely and may be readily grasped and pulled down along the front panel to open the bag. When the consumer desires to access the chicken, he or she pulls the pull tab/ripping strip along the perforated lines, and then removes the chicken from the bag through the narrow slot or opening formed by tearing along the perforated lines. While the disclosed bag may be useful for fried chicken, and other food items where shifting of the food items during transport is unimportant, it is not believed useful for other items, such as sandwiches, or other multiple-piece food items which are placed in the bag in a certain position and are intended to remain in relatively the same position until the bag is opened for consumption of the food. Moreover, the ripping strip may be difficult to grasp and separate neatly from the folded over front panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,996 to Cortopassi, et al. discloses an openable bag construction for carrying and exposing food items, usually sold at fast-food type restaurants. The bag comprises an open top end, a closed bottom end, a front panel, a back panel and a pair of gusseted side panels. A pair of perforated lines are provided at the junctions of each side panel and the front panel. The perforated lines are parallel to each other, extend longitudinally between the open end and the closed end and are spaced apart the width of the front panel. In use, food is placed into the bag through its open end. The top of the bag is then folded closed to ensure that the contents of the bag remain warm. When the consumer desires to remove the food from the bag, he unfolds the top of the bag and pulls the front panel so as to separate the front panel from the side panels along the perforated lines. Since the perforations are located at the junctions of each side panel and the front panel, however, they are not readily visible unless one is specifically looking for them. Thus, since the bag does not incorporate any type of pull tab, the user may not be aware that the bag includes perforations.